My City, My Life : Footpaths nightmare
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 05 2009: Notwithstanding the ever growing congestion in Imphal city, foot-paths are yet to figure in the whole arrangement of things to ease traffic flow.

Vendors of all articles and goods, majority being women vegetable vendors, have been occupying every foot-path defying the very logic and purpose of constructing foot-paths.

Although Traffic Police tried their bit to keep foot-paths open by putting up rope barriers, vendors have reoccupied the foot-paths as if these spaces were leased out to them.

All the attempts of Traffic Police to instill some sense to the vendors about the inconveniences they cause to the commuters have proved futile time and again.

Vendors on foot-paths inconveniencing commuters

For some traffic police personnel, it has become a daily struggle to prevent vendors from setting up shops on foot-paths or shoo them away.

The trend of selling goods/vegetables on foot-paths and roadsides evolved long before the Ima Keithel, Laxmi Keithel and Linthoingambi Keithel were constructed.

In their search for more appropriate spots to sell their goods and earn their daily bread, many women coming from rural and far-off places started occupying road-sides/foot-paths around the busy markets.

Over the years, the number of road-side vendors has multiplied causing serious disturbance to the flow of human traffic.

There was no attempt from the Government or Traffic Police to prevent vendors from occupying foot-paths when their number was comparatively less.

Coupled with the rise in the overall population of Manipur and the structural changes like BT Flyover, construction of new market complexes etc, vendors who once occupied the road-sides have shifted to the foot-paths.

One woman vendor who occupies a spot on the foot-path along BT road said that she has been selling vegetables at Khwairamband market for the last 10 years.

"As I've adapted myself to the trade for the livelihood of my family, I cannot give it up easily.

I cannot help but occupy the foot-path for I've no alternative spot", she said.

"When I got wind of Traffic Police coming, I would collect my goods and hurry towards the market", she confided.

At times when the vendors could not collect their goods and run away from their spots before arrival of traffic police, their goods/vegetables would be scattered away in addition to enduring harsh, abusive words, she said.

On the other hand, one Traffic Police personnel said that repeated intimations to avoid foot-paths have run into deaf ears.

"It has become a daunting challenge for us to maintain vigil over them", he said.

A middle-aged commuter said that occupation of BT road foot-path not only caused inconveniences but also presented unruly scenes.

He said that he once felled victim to a woman's wrath when he knocked her as she suddenly halted and bent down to look at the vegetables of a road-side vendor as a large number of people were walking shoulder to shoulder on the busy foot-path.

It also needed a great to make as little manoeuvre as the foot-path was too congested, he added.